Automatic feeding device for printing presses



Nov. 3, 1925' c. A. H. BULLOCK AUTOMATIC FEEDIYNG DEVICE FOR PRINTING PRESSES 3 Sheets-Shea! l Filed July 1923 Nov. 3, 1925- 1,559,549

C. A. H. BULLOCK AUTOMATIC FEEDING DEVICE FOR PRINTING PRESSES- Fnedduly 23. 192: s Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov, 3 1925. 1,559,549

I C. A. H. BULLOCK AUTOMATIC FEEDING DEVICE FOR PRINTING PRESSES Filed July 23. 1923 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Nov. 3, 1925.

. CHARLES ASHTON .BUIiIuOQK, :OF LONDON, ENGL ND.

AUEEQMATIC FEEDING DEVICE FOR PRINTING- PRESSES.

Application .filed July 23, 1923. Serial n 653,313.

To all rwlwm it may concern:

Be it known that .I, 'GnAnLns Asn'ron HENRY BULLOCK, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of London, England, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Automatic Feeding Devices for Printing Presses, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference matic feeding of paper to a printing press sheet by sheet.

The object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved method of- .separating the sheets one by one reparatory tofee din g whereby sheets of paper of any thickness may be removed and in a more effectual manner than heretofore and with this object in view the present invention consists broadly of an automatic feeding device for printing presses wherein the outer sheet of a series of stacked sheets of paper is separated, preparatory to removal, by being forced back against an abutment so as to cause the sheet or a portion or corner thereof to buckle and permit the remaining sheets to be held leaving the outer sheet free to be removed.

In order that the invention may be clear- 1y understood an embodiment of the same will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which h Fig. '1 is .a side elevation of a rotary hand press embodying a feeding device according to this invention showing the paper retaining device in the lowered position. v

Fig. 2 is a rear view of the same looking towards the back of the paper magazine or delivery board.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary lan view of the feeding device showing t e operation of buckling the corner of .the top sheet of .paper on the magazine or delivery board.

Fig. t is a fragmentary side elevation of the feeding device showing the paper retaining device in the raised position.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view to an enlarged scale of a detail hereafter to be described.

In the application of the invention shown in the drawings the rotary press shown comprises an endless chain 1 on each side of the machine carrying between them the inking and impression rollers 2 and S, which chains pass over sprocket wheels 4 at each end of the press one of which wheels is rotated by means of a handle 5 so as to cause the rollto the auto ers 2 and 8 to pass continuously over and under the chase or form 6. The automatic feeding devic Comprises an inclined magazine or delivery board 7 which is pivoted at its upper end as at 8-to a framey9 which frame in turn is bolted orotherwise secured at "an angle "to one end of the frame '10 of the press. I V

Thelower end of the magazine or delivery board 7 isresili'ently supported 'throughjthe medium .of a roller 11 carried at the end-of an arm 12 which arm in turn is mounted upon apivot spindle 13 extendin' acrossithe rear ofth'e delivery board 7. Tis spindle 18 is "biased by means of springs 14jso as to cause the roller '11 always tdpressiirmly against the back of the board 7 and operate to normallyhold thelower end "of the board in the raised position.

' The paper which is stacked on the board 7 is automatically fed sheet by sheet by means consisting of a clam ing device or pressure jstop 15, a buckling evice'16 and :a feeding finger 17 Y The clamping device or, pressurestop 15 comprises a rubber pad "15? carried by the outer end of an arm 15" which arm at its inner end is mounted upon the bearing carrying the. spindle '18 in such a manner as'to :be

friction tight so that it can be moved 'into any position desired. This spindle '18 serves to carry at'its upperendthe arm 16* :of the buckling device but in this case the arm 16 is fixed to the ispindleflS so as to turn with it. At its outer end the arm 16 carries .a

plunger fitted at its. lower end'with'a pad or This plunger may be spring controlled as shown orarranged to fall by gravity. The lower end of the spindle 18' is provided with a crank arm. 19 having a pin or the like 20 at its outer end which pin or the like is adapted .to be engaged at intervals by means of a projection 21 carriedby a bar 22. The

bar 22 is carried its .ends in parallel slots 23 in a pair of side members '24 depending from and fixed to the undersideof'tfhe frame 9 of the board 7. p

The bar 22 is reciprocated within the slots 23 by-means of crank pins .25 carried by toothed wheels 26 mounted upon each side of the frame of the press, the connection between said bar 22a-nd these crank pinsbeing by way of a pair of coniiectinglinks '27.

The toothed wheels 26 are rotated by engagement with pinion's '28 mounted up(' jnit he outer extremities of one of the spindles 29 carrying a pair of the aforesaid sprocket wheels 4. The engagement between the pin and the projection 21, in consequence of the reciprocation of the bar 22, causes the spindle 18 to be rocked or partly rotated thus moving the buckling device 16 across the corner of the top sheet of paper the upper surface of which it frictionally engages through the medium of a rubber or other suitable pad 16 coming in contact with the top sheet of paper by the action of the delivery board rising almost immedi ately after the rubber or pad has passed over the extreme corner or edge of the paper.

This rocking or rotating movement of the buckling member takes place in predetermined relationship, in .point of cycle, with the movement of the board 7 to the ralsed position shown in Fig. 4. The normal tendency of the board 7 is to remain in the raised position under the action of the spring con trolled roller 11, in which position the clamping device or pressure stop 15 presses against the paper on the board and operates to provide an abutment to hold the paper at one position during the action of the buckling device. 7

The depression-of the board and consequent release of the paper from the pressure of the clamping device or pressure stop 15 is effected by a paper retaining device 30 which is connected at its lower end to a rod 31 carried at one end by a cam plate 32 whilst its upper extremity is bent over as at 33 for engagement with the edge of the stack of paper on the magazine or delivery board.

The cam plate 32 is attached as at 34 to an arm 35 which is pivoted at 36 to one of the side members 24. The front edge of the cam plate engages the periphery of a cam 37 mounted concentric with and movable with the toothed wheel 26.

This cam is provided with a segmental gap 38into which the adjacent end of the cam plate drops, when the cam rotates, under the influence of a spring 39 as shown in Fig. 4. In this-position of the cam plate the paper retaining device 30 is in the raised position whilst as a consequence the delivery board is also raised and held by its spring with the paper pressed against the clamping .device or pressure stop 15. The segmental gap 38 is ofsuch a width as to maintain the paper retaining device 30 in the raised position untilthe buckling device 16 has completedthe removal of the engaged corner of engagement between the buckling device and i,

the surface of the top sheet of paper ceases the corner previously buckled returns to its normal fiat position but above the head of the retaining device 30 over which the sheet passes when being transferred to the press.

The means for ensuring the transfer of the sheet to the press consists" of a rubber or otherfeeding finger 17 which is fixed to an arm 41, so as to project at right angles from it, this arm 41 extending'transversely v across the paper from one side ofthe delivery board 7 and the feeding finger 17 normally rests at an angle upon the surface of the paper onv the board as shown mjost clearly in Fig. 1.

This feeding finger 17 is moved over the paper in consequence of the movement of the bar 22 to which it is connected by means of a member 42.

When the feeding finger 17 approaches the end of its travel in the feeding direction it is'raised clear of the finger by tripping means. These means comprise a crank arm 43 on the end of the arm 41 and a slotted link 44 attached to said crank arm the slotted end of the link engaging a fixed pin or projection 45 on the frame of the delivery board whichpin is so positioned as to engage the end of the slot-in the link 44 just before the feeding finger reaches the limit-of its travel in the feeding direction' Consequently the continued movement of the feeding finger results in the backward movement of the crank arm 43 and the lifting of the feeding finger clear of't'he paper.

The paper as it is transferred from the delivery board by the feeding device is received by a clip 46. the two jaws of which 7 are held normally open by the spring 47. closure of the clip being effected automatically by the impression roller 3 which also operates to lay each sheet flat upon the chase or form.

It will of coursebe understood that a feeding device according to this invention can be used to feed sheets of flexible mate rial other than paper, and into other print-v ing presses than that referred to herein.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is I j 1'. A feeding device for printing machines, comprising a magazine whereon the paper to be fed is supported, a'supportin g clip adapted to engage the bottom edge of the stack of sheets of paper, mearisfor releasing automatically the supporting clip when about to feed the top sheet, means for hold-ing the sheets firmly at a point adjacent one of the lowercorner's of the upper sheet, means adapted to be periodically moved across and in contact with such lower corners of the top sheet whereby the sheet is buckled between such corner and the point where it is held and removed from beneath the supporting clip which is again returned to a position in engagement with the sheets and means for feeding the upper sheet forward into the machine when such sheet has been released from the buckling and holding means.

2. A feeding device for printing ma chines, comprising a magazine whereon the paper to be fed is supported, a supporting clip reciprocable in a direction normal to the plane of the sheets of paper, means for alternatively raising and lowering said clip out of and into engagement with the lower edge of the stack of sheets so as to alternatively release and secure the upper sheet of the stack of sheets, a plunger serving normally to press upon the upper sheet of paper at a point adjacent the corner which is held by the supporting clip, means for effecting periodically disengagement between said plunger and said upper sheet of paper, a swinging member, means for moving said member across and in engagement with the upper sheet of paper when the supporting clip is out of engagement with said sheet so as to buckle the corner of said sheet and move the same clear of the supporting clip and to hold such corner in this position until the supporting clip is returned to its normal position in engagement with the other sheets of paper on the magazine, said swinging member being adapted to be returned to its normal position out of engagement with the upper sheet of paper so as to permit the buckled corner of the upper sheet to return to a position above the sup porting clip and means for engaging the upper sheet and feeding the same off the magazine over the remaining sheets of the stack.

3. A feeding device for printing machines comprising a magazine whereon the paper to be fed is supported, a supporting clip reciprocable in a direction normal to the plane of the sheets of paper, means for alternatively raising and lowering said clip out of and into engagement with the lower edge of the stack of sheets so as to alternatively release and secure the upper sheet of the stack of sheets, a plunger serving normally to press upon the upper sheet of paper at a point adjacent the corner which is held by the supporting clip, means for efiecting periodically "disengagement between said plunger and said upper sl'ieet of paper-,a swinging member adapted '*to. be oscillated across "and frictional engagement with the surface of the upper sheetpf paper 1? when the supporting clip is enter engagement withsaid sheet'so as to*'buckle :t he

corner of said sheet and move the same clear of the supporting clip and toll-old such corl ner in this position until the supporting clip is returned to its normal position in engage ment with the other sheets of paper on the magazine, said swinging member being adapted to be returned to its normal position out of engagementwith the upper sheet of paper so as to permitthe buckled corner of the upper sheet to return to a position above the supporting clip andmeans for engaging the upper sheet and feeding the same off the magazine over the remaining sheets of the stack.

4-. A feeding device for printing ma chines comprising a magazine supported pivotally by its upper end and whereon the paper to be fed is supported, a pressure stop located above thepaper adjacent one ofthe lower corners thereof, means for periodically raising and lowering the lower end of the ,magazine so as to force the paper towards and into contact with the upper sheet of paper and to move the same out of con- 7 by the pressure stop clamping means for normally holding the lower, edge of the stack of sheets means for periodically releasing said clamping means to permit the corner of the upper sheet to be removed in consequence of the buckling operation and means for feeding the upper sheet, when released from the clamping means, over the clamping means and into th'eprint-ing machine.

5. A feeding device for printing machines comprising amagazine supported pivotally by its upper end and whereon the paper to be fed is supported, a pressure stop located above the paper adjacent one of the lower corners thereof, means for periodically raising and lowering the'lower end of the magazine so as to force the paper to-' wards and into contact with the upper sheet of paper and to move the same out of contact with said sheet of paper,'an arm adapted to be oscillated radially across and in frictional engagement with the surface of the upper sheet of paper when the lower end of the magazine is in the raised position whereby the sheet is buckled between the corner and the point Where it is held by the pressure stop clamping means for normally holding. the lower edge of the stack of sheets, means for periodically releasing said clampingv means to permit the corner of the upper sheet to be removed in consequence of the buckling operation, a pivoted finger carried by a sliding carriage vadapted to friotionally engage the surface of the up per sheet and feed the same forward over 10 the clamping means and into the printing machine.

In Witness whereof I atfix' my signature.

CHARLES ASHTON HENRY BULLOCK. 

